


Of Convenience Stores and Awkward First Meetings

by inpiniteu



Category: NU'EST
Genre: Alternate Universe - Convenience Store, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-30
Updated: 2020-01-12
Packaged: 2021-02-26 03:08:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,579
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21616591
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/inpiniteu/pseuds/inpiniteu
Summary: Minhyun works the night shift at some convenience store while trying to break into the acting industry.It has never been the funniest, nicest job in the world but it allows him to meet the cutest guy ever over and over again so he clearly has no complaints about it.It gets even better when they become friends and when they finally—finally!—fall in love.
Relationships: Hwang Minhyun/Kim Jonghyun | JR
Comments: 21
Kudos: 68





	1. i. first meeting

**Author's Note:**

> This is something that started on Twitter. I don't really know where this is going yet or how long it's going to be, and updates might still be posted on Twitter. I just wanted a place to archive this.
> 
> Not betaed, feel free to point out mistakes! 
> 
> Hopefully, you enjoy it!

Working the night shift four times a week in 7/11 isn’t exactly the future Minhyun had imagined for himself.

He doesn’t complain, though. He _can’t_ complain, not when he's the one who decided to move to Seoul and make a break into the acting industry instead of being a regular twenty-year-old college student.

He had known from the start that the path he chose for himself wouldn’t be easy, that he would need to survive before even thinking of living the life he dreams of. 

At least, his parents haven’t cut him off completely. His decision to not go to college had, for a lack of better word, disheartened them though and their relationship still remains strained to this day. He cares—of course, he does—but he cares even more for his dreams.

Moving to Seoul hadn’t been easy and he found himself sticking out like a sore thumb quickly enough. The satoori, the countrified fashion—he hadn’t been ready for this.

It’s getting better now, though. Five months in and he doesn’t feel like running back to Busan every night anymore. 

Even the boredom this job provides him is appreciated now. He’s never liked silence much but it’s perfect for him to practice his craft.

“Why did you have to leave me?” He whispers, hand on his chest. “I thought you loved me.”

His voice is shaking a bit and he licks his lips in anticipation for the next part, getting himself ready for what’s coming. Minhyun has been practicing this scene of a popular drama currently airing on JTBC for days now and he's never been able to get the tone right so far. His lack of dating experience isn’t helping either but he doesn’t want to give up. Hwang Minhyun is a lot of things but he isn’t a quitter.

Maybe, finally, this night will be his night after all.

“I thought you loved me,” he says, his voice stronger this time. “It was a lie, wasn’t it? Love—" he lets out a bitter chuckle there and then, “you have no idea what it is.”

Shit, the emotion he’s looking for still isn’t quite there. Close, but not good enough.

He closes his eyes and repeats the last part once more, this time louder, his yell echoing into the store and finally, _finally_ , he thinks he got it right.

A smile graces his lips, satisfaction running in his veins and he’s about to continue when someone clears his throat.

_Oh, fuck._

He’s quick to open his eyes, only to meet the amused eyes of a guy around his age with messy hair, big puppy eyes and wait, is that Pokemon pyjama bottoms—? 

“Ah, erm, sorry,” Minhyun says, rubbing the back of his neck. He eyes the bottle of Sprite on the counter and the words leave his mouth before he can think twice about them. “You don’t drink Chilsung Cider?”

The guy doesn’t seem intent on replying him, which makes things even more awkward and he's is about to apologize for his comment when the dude breaks into a laugh—or more like into soft giggles that make Minhyun’s lips twitch. “You have a promo on Sprite,” he says as if that explains everything.

Minhyun guesses it kind of does.

“Ah.” He nods and quickly scans the bottle. “Is that all you need?”

“You were good, you know,” the guy says instead, discarding the question altogether. “The acting, I mean.” Is it the bad lighting of this place or is that guy actually blushing? Minhyun isn’t sure. He kind of hopes it's the former, though. “Yeah, that was nice.”

“Thank you,” Minhyun trails off, not knowing how to address him. The sincerity in his voice is unmissable, though, and the compliment makes Minhyun beam.

“Jonghyun. Kim Jonghyun.” Jonghyun supplies and Minhyun smiles at him gratefully.

Minhyun gestures to his name tag and grins. “I’m Hwang Minhyun.”

“Minhyun,” Jonghyun repeats under his breath. Minhyun wonders what’s coming next and holds his breath but Jonghyun just lowers his face, effectively hiding it from view as he whispers, “Ah, I think I should go back—“

“To bed?” Minhyun says cheekily, his eyes glued on the dozens of kkobugi on Jonghyun’s pajama pants that are staring back at him. It’s adorable, really.

That’s probably not what Jonghyun thinks right now, though. The panic that suddenly flashes in his eyes once he realizes what Minhyun is looking at and what he’s wearing is quite cute in Minhyun’s opinion, but not as cute as the blush that takes over his whole face.

“No,” Jonghyun replies in a shy voice. “I was—“ he suddenly pauses, looking like he’s debating telling the truth and Minhyun blinks, a bit nervous and definitely curious about what’s to come.

Jonghyun is too cute to be a serial killer, right? He can’t be, Minhyun guesses, and then again, even if he is... Minhyun believes he probably would be able to take him down if Jonghyun was to try something. 

He took Taekwondo lessons in elementary school, after all.

He’s about to say something but Jonghyun speaks first. “I was gaming,” he blurts out, looking everywhere but at Minhyun. Of course, Minhyun thinks. Why couldn’t he have thought of this? A serial killer? How dumb is he?

Jonghyun doesn’t seem aware of his internal turmoil and continues, his voice getting higher with each word, “Then, I got thirsty and there wasn’t anything to drink in my dorm and—“ 

He stops abruptly and the way he places both hands over his mouth to shut himself up is the cutest thing Minhyun has ever seen. God, this guy is a cuteness machine, Minhyun thinks, and he doesn’t even seem aware of it.

“Oh, I see.” Minhyun nods, not knowing what else to say. He doesn’t see at all if he has to be honest.

He doesn’t even have a reliable internet connection in his goshiwon but Jonghyun doesn’t need to know that. Pretending he knows his shit is one of Minhyun’s specialties, too.

“I shouldn’t keep you here, then. Guess you have a... game waiting for you?” Not that he wants to chase Jonghyun away, but well, he doesn't want to come off as too desperate either. 

Jonghyun giggles again and he shrugs his shoulders. “It’s fine.” He still moves towards the door, though, waving at him with his Sprite bottle in hand. “Good night, Minhyunnie.”

Minhyun waves back, smiling softly before realizing two things just as the door closes behind Jonghyun.

That damn Sprite bottle is going to end up on the house—how could he forget to make Jonghyun pay, seriously—and has the cutest guy he’s ever seen in the neighborhood just called him _Minhyunnie_?

Wait, well, there’s one more thing—he needs to see Kim Jonghyun’s cute face again. And soon.

That, or die waiting for Jonghyun to show up again.


	2. ii. second meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minhyun and Jonghyun meet again and some progress is made. A secret also gets revealed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's silly, and I don't know what I feel about this update but I wanted to write something light and fun and just easy and yes, it happened. 
> 
> It's unbeta-ed as usual so feel free to point out mistakes!
> 
> Have fun reading!

Luckily for him, Minhyun doesn’t have to die to see Jonghyun again. He doesn’t even have to wait that long either.

Their second meeting happens exactly a week and two days after the first one, on another of those slow night shifts Minhyun hates.

Not that he has been keeping track. He swears it isn’t like that at all.

He just happens to have a particularly good memory. That’s it. Just a particularly good memory, which has come with him cramming lines from random scripts night after night for the past few months. 

The fact that he hasn’t been able to stop thinking about how cute Jonghyun looked in those ridiculous pajama pants for the last nine days has nothing to do with him remembering their first meeting. Definitely not.

“Oh, hi Minhyunnie,” Jonghyun greets him with a bright smile once he notices he’s the one behind the counter. His arms are full and Minhyun is quick to lean over the counter to help him with putting everything he’s been holding down.

It’s only the second time the two of them are meeting so by all means, the lack of formal speech should be bothering him, but while he confesses being a bit surprised by how fast the switch from polite to familiar speech happened, it’s not really displeasing. He even rather likes it if he has to be honest, as it makes him feel closer to Jonghyun than what he is in reality.

“Hey Jonghyun-ah,” he says back, flashing him a soft smile and opting to drop formalities as well. If Jonghyun is uncomfortable with it, he doesn’t show it. 

On the contrary, Jonghyun is beaming at him as he looks up from the pile of food items he has to ring up. Jonghyun’s eyes are brightly shining even under the fluorescent light of the store and Minhyun is completely mesmerized.

For someone who is supposed to have a good memory, Minhyun still finds himself surprised by how cute Kim Jonghyun is. 

“You’re truly buying a lot tonight,” he points out, scanning yet another bag of chips. He’s never liked small talk and usually avoids doing it if he can, not that many customers try to talk to him at all in the first place but Jonghyun is different. What he likes doesn’t matter whenever Jonghyun is concerned.

After all, he would probably put on a clown costume and dance on the streets if Jonghyun asked him to. For real, he believes he could do anything if it meant being allowed to spend one more minute in Jonghyun’s company or be on the receiving end of the most beautiful smile he’s ever seen.

Jonghyun blinks, as surprised by the fact that Minhyun would talk to him but he's quickly nodding. “Oh, yeah. I have friends over for—” he suddenly stops and looks down at his feet as if they were the most interesting thing on Earth.

It’s oddly reminiscent of their first meeting and the gaming confession in Minhyun's opinion. At least, this time he knows better—Kim Jonghyun is not a serial killer or a threat.

Well, this isn’t exactly true. Jonghyun, as the cutest guy he’s ever seen, is a threat to his heart.

Indeed, just the blush on Jonghyun’s cheeks alone is endearing and cute enough for Minhyun’s heart to skip a beat or two. So, yes, all things considered, Jonghyun is definitely a threat.

“Gaming night,” He supplies as Jonghyun doesn’t seem keen on finishing his sentence anytime soon. "Right?"

It’s a good thing Jonghyun doesn’t seem creeped out that Minhyun remembers he's a gamer. Minhyun heaves a sigh of relief and inwardly scolds himself for being obvious. 

Perhaps, Jonghyun believes Minhyun remembers tidbits about all the customers who come inside the store. That would be far from the truth, as he doesn’t care about any of them. Jonghyun is a special case, but he doesn't need to know that just yet.

“Yeah,” Jonghyun finally says, but he isn’t meeting Minhyun’s eyes, his eyes glued on the floor. Is he embarrassed by his hobby again? Or just shy?

Minhyun guesses he must have found something interesting there and decides to take a peek himself. Besides the rather plain gray pajama bottoms Jonghyun is wearing this time, there’s nothing to see, though. 

Wait, no. He sees something, alright.

He didn’t notice last time, or perhaps Jonghyun hadn’t been wearing slippers on their first meeting for all he knows, but Minhyun finds himself baffled by what he’s seeing. 

How can a guy have such tiny feet? Sure, Jonghyun looks rather small—at least, in comparison to himself—but this is something else altogether. Minhyun is amazed, and it makes no doubt in his mind that the expression “adorable from head to toes” has been created for Kim Jonghyun.

He doesn’t realize he’s staring until Jonghyun starts shifting from one foot to the other. He quickly looks up, then, only to meet Jonghyun’s wide eyes and flushed cheeks. “Ah, lucky,” Minhyun quickly interjects, inwardly hoping that the change of topic will help Jonghyun feel more at ease. “I wish I could have fun like that, too. Gaming sounds fun.”

It doesn’t, but what Jonghyun doesn’t know won’t hurt him. It's not like they're ever going to play games together either.

“You could come next time.” As if realizing what he has said and before Minhyun can say anything, Jonghyun quickly adds in a small voice, “I mean if you’re free and want to.”

Minhyun’s lips twitch but he does his best to keep his cool and not let his excitement show. Coming off as desperate isn’t a flattering look on anyone. “I don’t even have your number or know where you live, Jonghyun-ah.”

“Oh.” Minhyun doesn’t know what’s cuter—the way Jonghyun flushes or how he seems unable to conceal his emotions properly. “Well, that could be fixed.”

Minhyun freezes for a second, this time unable to hide his surprise properly. He wasn't expecting Jonghyun to be so bold and doesn’t know what to do or say now. 

It doesn't stay that way for long and he’s quick to get back on his feet, though, wiping his phone out of his back pocket just as Jonghyun gives him his number. His fingers end up hovering over the turtle emoji for a second too long as he ponders over the name he should save him under.

Jonghyun notices and decides for him in the end. “Add it,” he says, and Minhyun hadn’t even noticed he was that obvious. It’s too late to pretend he wasn’t hesitating so he does as told and he presses on the emoji, watching it appear behind Jonghyun’s name. _Cute_.

He’s about to make a call so Jonghyun can get his number as well just as the door chimes from the door on the other side of the store ring out and the spell is broken. 

Being caught slacking off on the job by a customer and facing the risk of an eventual report is not something he can afford, especially if he wants to see Jonghyun again.

So he opts for putting his phone back in his pocket and rings up the last few items in silence. The last one, though, makes him smile and he can't resist mentioning it. “The promotion on Sprite has ended on Sunday, you know. I’ve checked.”

Jonghyun breaks into a loud laugh at that, still chuckling even as he’s paying with his phone and grabbing the plastic bag Minhyun is holding out to him. “I know, Minhyunnie.”

Minhyun is about to say something and tease him some more but Jonghyun beats him to it. “I even have a confession to make.”

“A confession?” Minhyun repeats, not getting it. What could call for a confession out of the blue? He's confused.

“Yeah,” Jonghyun confirms, his free hand on the handle of the door as he’s ready to head out. “The truth is I don’t really like Chilsung Cider so I don't wanna buy it, sorry.”

 _Oh, God_. Why is Kim Jonghyun so cute yet so silly? Minhyun doesn't know what to do with him. Well, he has an idea but asking a guy he barely knows for a hug doesn't seem like a good one.

He doesn't ask and instead says, grinning, “It’s not something worth being sorry over, Jonghyun-ah. I’ll just judge you forever for not being patriotic.”

Jonghyun takes a last look at him before opening the door and Minhyun isn’t truly sure, but he thinks Jonghyun is looking at him fondly. “Sure, you do that. G’night, Minhyunnie.”

“Good night, Jonghyun-ah.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you lots for reading! ♡
> 
> You can find me on [CuriousCat](https://curiouscat.me/bugipaca) or [Twitter](http://twitter.com/astropicals). Feel free to drop prompts on me or to come talk to me, I don't bite! ;u;


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